Merab Dvalishvili seems quite considerate of his opponents! Looking to defend his title for the second time, ‘The Machine’ will be up against Sean O’Malley. However, although he had the opportunity to fight him when he was vulnerable, Dvalishvili chose to wait and give ‘Suga’ more time. And this is the only reason the UFC bantamweight title fight is happening in June!
In a recent appearance on the ‘Not Mat Riddle’ podcast, Dvalishvili reflected on his fight timeline. ‘The Machine’ pointed out that the UFC offered him a couple of options. Either fight in April or in June. Dvalishvili deliberately chose the latter date as he knew that would be suitable for O’Malley. Having undergone surgery, the Georgian wanted to give ‘Suga’ time to heal.
“They said, ‘You can either fight O’Malley in April, or in June, in New Jersey’, and I said New Jersey because this time O’Malley has more time to recover from surgery,” said Dvalishvili.
Merab says the UFC offered him a fight with Sean O'Malley in either April or June — he chose June to give O'Malley more time to recover from surgery 💪
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 31, 2025
"They said, 'You can either fight O'Malley in April, or in June, in New Jersey', and I said New Jersey because this time… pic.twitter.com/SZuFRWsl5A
The champion also pointed out that he wanted to face the best of Sean O’Malley. And thus, decided to delay the bout by a month or two. Surely, this is an excellent example of mutual coming from the champion. Meanwhile, Sean O’Malley too, shrugs off having any personal vendettas against Dvalishvili.
Sean O’Malley Admits He Doesn’t Hate Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O’Malley will not try to hate Merab Dvalishvili this time around. In a recent update, ‘Suga’ admitted how he forcibly tried to hate his opponent the first time they met. However, this time around, the former champion just wants to focus on winning the bout. Appearing on the ‘Full Send Podcast,’ O’Malley vowed to take the fight purely out of his love for the sport.
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“I forced myself to not like Merab. It wasn’t genuine… This camp, I have nothing against Merab. I’m gonna go out there and compete because I love to compete,” said O’Malley.
Sean O’Malley admits he forced the beef with Merab in their first fight
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 30, 2025
“I forced myself to not like Merab. It wasn’t genuine…
This camp, I have nothing against Merab. I’m gonna go out there and compete because I love to compete.”
🎥 @fullsendpodcastpic.twitter.com/ReIHBeNUDc
Thus, with mutual respect being given by both, it will be interesting to see how the bout pans out.
